Never Forgotten (Never Forgotten Series) (26 page)

“I have a boyfriend,” I blurted.

Kieran laughed his delicious laugh again. “Oh, I know.”

I stepped back, an alarm sounding in my head. “What do you mean, ‘you know’?”

He gestured to me. “A beautiful girl like you is never free.”

I felt my face grow hot when he called me beautiful. Stay focused. I closed my eyes to clear my head. “If you know I’m not free, why are you here?”

He grinned, and his teeth gleamed in the dark. He looked dangerous. “I could ask you the same thing.”

My pulse quickened. He had a point. I knew it was wrong. I knew Evan would be hurt, but I felt flushed and reckless. I needed to go before I did something I’d regret. “I need to get back to my friends.”

“They are fine.” Kieran’s expression softened, which made him look younger. Almost boyish. He took my hand in his again. “Please, stay.”

Sadness filled my heart. I tried to shake it off. I wasn’t sad, was I? The music slowed, and bodies coupled together on the dance floor. Kieran lifted my hand in his. “Will you dance?”

I considered him. A dance was not cheating, right? I placed my hand in his, and he led me to the floor. He pulled me close against him. He was so tall that my head rested on his chest, just below his heart. Its steady beat matched our steps. Why did he seem so familiar? I couldn’t clear my head. It was like trying to wake from a dream. I took a deep breath and sighed. He smelled like spring rain.

Kieran didn’t speak. He held me tight, his arms strong and comforting. When the song ended, he stepped back and looked down at me. He frowned.

“I must go,” he said. “Can I see you again?”

I shook my head. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

He looked resigned. “I thought you’d say that.”

He bent his head and I watched him, transfixed. When his lips touched mine, they were warm and inviting. I didn’t mean to kiss him back, but my eyes fluttered closed and I did. He tasted like spring rain, too.

When he broke the kiss and I opened my eyes, I realized that I gripped the front of his shirt in my fists. I let go and jumped back, my hand flying to my lips. What had I done?

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Meara Quinn.” He backed away slowly, his eyes never leaving mine.

It took a moment for his words to sink through the layers of guilt. “How do you know my last name?” I called, but he was already swallowed up by the crowd.

“Who was that?”

I turned to see Jen staring at the spot where Kieran last stood. “He said his name was Kieran.” I touched my lips again. They tingled from his kiss.

“Oh my God, Meara!” Katie shoved my shoulder. “You kissed him.”

“He kissed me,” I corrected, although my cheeks burned. My friends saw us? I thought they were too busy dancing with their own hotties.

“Whatever.” Katie frowned at me. “You shared a kiss.”

I didn’t say anything. All three of them stared at me, envy and disbelief clearly written on their faces. “What?” I crossed my arms and a looked behind them. “Where are the guys you were dancing with?”

“What guys?” Val asked. Her lower lip pouted in confusion.

“Are you serious?” I asked. What kind of joke were they playing? “I saw you dancing with them. They looked like models. I asked Kieran, and he said that they were his friends.” I looked from one to the other. No one seemed to know what I was talking about.

Frustrated, I pointed at Jen. “You laughed at something he said to you. He was tall, blond, and tan. How can you not remember?”

Jen shook her head and looked at me sympathetically. “How much did you have to drink, Meara? Seriously, we all went on to the dance floor, and then you were gone. We’ve spent the entire time looking for you.”

“Is this a joke?” I looked at Katie. She pursed her lips and drew her eyebrows together. I tried again. “I’ve been here the whole time.”

“With Kieran,” Katie stated, a cold edge to her voice.

“Y…yes,” I stammered. Why were they acting like this? I knew what I saw. Katie, Jen, and Val, surrounded by guys, dancing with them. I thought they even kissed them, which made me all the more irritated by Katie’s response. I mean, she was with Brian. It wasn’t not like she didn’t just cheat, too.

Katie shook her head at me. Jen and Val looked worried. Why didn’t they remember anything? Unless…damn it! Unless Kieran and his friends were Selkies. His exotic looks, those dark, hypnotizing eyes—it was the only explanation that made sense. Had he used his powers on me? I remembered him perfectly; I wouldn’t have trouble describing him. But did he influence me? Was that why I kissed him?

“You have to tell Evan,” Katie said. She sounded angry, bordering on furious. “If you don’t, I will.”

“I was planning to.” As guilty as I felt, I wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret anyway.

“Tonight,” she insisted.

“Back off, Katie,” I snapped. “It’s not your concern.”

“He’s my brother, Meara,” she snapped back. “So I would argue that it is.”

“Girls, let’s not fight.” Jen couldn’t stand fighting. She was always trying to calm Katie down. It was a thankless job. At any rate, it was too late. I glared at Katie, frustrated that my friends couldn’t remember, and bewildered by what happened. Katie scowled at me, her arms crossed in front of her.

“Let’s get out of here,” she said finally, spinning on her heel and stalking to the exit. She shouted above the music. “Going out tonight was a horrible idea.”

I sighed and hurried to follow them, my mind elsewhere. How I was going to explain what happened to Evan? No matter what angle I took, I kissed another guy. The worst part, and the part I wouldn’t tell him, was that I liked it. Even now, I felt a thrill as I thought about being in Kieran’s arms.

Katie threw open the club door, and cold air blasted me in the face. My head cleared, and I remembered. I remembered Ula fighting with Kieran at the hockey game. I remembered Kieran standing on campus when I went to visit Evan. I didn’t know it then, but in my memory, I saw his white hair, his unusual coloring. He was Selkie. I felt certain, and Ula knew him. I wished I could go home instead of Katie’s house. I wanted to contact Ula. I wanted answers.

I couldn’t believe that I didn’t see it. I didn’t even consider it. I knew other Selkies existed. Ula and David told me as much. I could blame my slowness on the alcohol, but by the time we left the club, I was sober. I didn’t recognize what he was, and I couldn’t think of anything that would have made me aware that he was Selkie. That, more than anything, worried me.

How many more Selkies would I meet? How could I better prepare myself for the next one?

T
he car ride back to Katie’s was icy torture. I felt like I already paid for my sins by the time we arrived at her house. She ignored me, the whole time, and she wouldn’t let anyone else talk to me either. She pulled into the garage and shut off the engine.

“Jen, Val, let’s go upstairs.” She gave me a pointed look that clearly said, “You’re not welcome.” Jen and Val both glanced at me, but followed Katie into the house without a word. I sat alone in the back of the car. My stomach clenched as I thought about telling Evan, seeing the hurt expression on his face. Much as I’d like to, I couldn’t sit in the car all night. The garage was bound to get cold.

With a sigh, I got out and trudged into the house and up the stairs. I glanced down the hall to Katie’s room. My bag was lying on its side against the wall. I rolled my eyes. No one went to major B-mode quicker than Katie did. Kim would never react like this.

I knocked on Evan’s door as quietly as possible in case he was asleep. When he opened it, my heart thumped painfully in my chest. He looked so cute in his faded Save the Whales t-shirt and black track pants, a dimple showing when he grinned at me.

“Change your mind about a sleepover?” He leaned against the doorframe.

I didn’t return his smile. “I need to talk to you.”

He frowned a bit, but he stepped back and gestured into his room. “Okay,” he said. “Come in.”

Ebb and Flow were on the bed, happy smiles on their faces, stubby tails wagging like mad. I gave them each a quick ear scratch before I crossed the room to sit on the desk chair.

Evan sat on the edge of the bed closest to me and rested his hands on his knees. He waited, but I couldn’t loosen my tongue to say anything. As the silence grew, he looked concerned. “Meara, what is it?”

“I…” I started to tell him, but I choked on tears. I focused the shelf above his desk. The one that held his hockey trophies. I blinked to clear my vision. I was not going to cry. I tried again. “I…met someone tonight. We danced and then…”

“Meara, don’t…” Evan looked alarmed, but I couldn’t stop and the words poured out.

“He kissed me,” I finished, my eyes leaving the trophies to study the pattern in the throw rug by the bed. Evan was silent. I counted to pass the time. One, two, three, four…

“Someone kissed you?” I could almost taste the hurt in his words. I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I nodded. More time ticked by. “How could you let that happen?”

I looked at him. His hair stood up where he raked his fingers through it. A vein pulsed in his neck. I wanted to hug him, to kiss the pain away. But how could I kiss away the pain when I was the one who put it there?

“I…I don’t know,” I said. “We were dancing, casually talking, and then he kissed me.”

Evan ran his fingers through his hair again. “Did you kiss him back?” I winced. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

We warily studied each other. I wanted to sink into the floor and disappear. This was one moment when Selkie powers would be useful.

“You like him?”

“I barely know him,” I said.

“You didn’t say no.” Evan’s voice filled with accusation. I wasn’t sure if he was referring to the kiss or to the question he just asked me. In either case, the same answer would apply. I didn’t say no. I didn’t want to. When it came to Kieran, I didn’t know what was real.

“Can I tell you about it?” I asked tentatively, and he blanched.

“You want to rub it in? Isn’t this enough?”

“Please, Evan,” I said. “I think it would help if I explain.”

“Then explain.”

It was as though he slapped me. His voice was so cold. He’d never used that tone with me before. He slid back on the bed until he reached the headboard. I didn’t know if he wanted to get more comfortable or if he was putting distance between us. Ebb and Flow moved close to him, and Evan rubbed their ears. When I didn’t say anything, he gestured for me to begin. I cleared my throat and told him everything that happened. I ended with Katie, Val, and Jen and their strange reactions.

“They didn’t remember any of it?” he asked.

“Only seeing Kieran kiss me.” He flinched when I said kiss.

“And you’re sure of what you saw?”

“Positive.”

He shook his head. “You know how strange that sounds, Meara.”

“I know,” I said. “But no stranger than a human turning into a seal.”

Evan’s brows shot up. “You think he’s Selkie, don’t you?”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense,” I said. “If it weren’t for Katie, Jen, and Val not remembering anything, I would have chalked it up to being drunk, but it’s just too weird that they don’t remember the guys they were…uh, dancing with.” I paused and took a breath. “I know what I saw, Evan.”

“Well, they were buzzed too, right?”

“Jen and Val, yes, but not Katie. She had a Coke. That’s it.”

Evan continued to stroke the dogs’ heads. He didn’t seem angry anymore, more contemplative. Finally, he looked at me. “Do you think he, this Kieran, cast some kind of spell on you?” His voice lost its edge; he sounded genuinely curious.

I moved off the chair and sat on the edge of the bed, near his feet. “I don’t know, Evan, but I can’t pass all the blame. Regardless of what he did or did not do, I kissed him back.”

Betrayal flashed across Evan’s face, but I had to be honest with him and myself. I loved Evan, but I couldn’t deny that I felt something with Kieran.

“Did you give him your number?”

“Of course not.” When he didn’t say anything, I added, “I told him I couldn’t see him again.”

He nodded and looked down at Ebb, who now had his head in Evan’s lap. “I think you better go now, Meara.” His voice was so quiet I barely heard him, and he wouldn’t look at me.

A sharp pain pierced my chest. “Are you breaking up with me?”

His head whipped up, alarm clear in his eyes. “What? No!”

“Oh.” I didn’t know what else to say.

“I just need some time…” His voice trailed off.

I stood and moved to sit next to Flow, running my hand down the length of his coat. He gave me a goofy doggy grin. If only all love was this unconditional. “Are we going to be okay?”

“I don’t know,” he said. He swallowed hard and looked away.

“Do you still love me?” My heart broke to ask it.

He reached across and took my hand. Raising it to his lips, he kissed my palm. “I don’t think I could stop loving you if I tried.”

His words undid the careful net I had on my emotions. My eyes welled and tears overflowed. “I’m so sorry, Evan.”

He squeezed my hand before he released it. “I know.”